Heron’s aeolipile
device · 50 · Ancient world
A ball spun by jets of steam — the oldest steam turbine.
What it is made of
- Bronze steam boiler — has part. A vessel of boiling water.
- Hollow bronze sphere — has part. It rotates on tubular axles.
- Bent steam nozzles — has part. Jets of steam spin the ball.
Principles and materials it uses
- Reaction force — uses. Jets of steam spin the ball by reaction force.
- Bronze — is made of. The aeolipile is a bronze ball.
- Combustion — uses. A fire boils the water in the cauldron.
History: what it evolved from and what it influenced
- Vending machine — inspired. Heron described both a holy-water dispenser and the aeolipile; the dispenser is the prototype of the vending machine.
- Turbine — evolved into. The aeolipile is the oldest ancestor of the steam turbine.